Box



2 Sheets-Sheet l J. H. OXLEY BOX March 6, 1951 Filed July 24, 1946 n l l l l l I l I I I I l l.

INVENIOR.

M; H 07ML?, /My

Patented Mar. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE A BOX John H. Oxley, Watertown, Mass. Application July 24, 1946, Serial No. 685,813

. 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-23) This invention relates to boxes such as are produced from thermoplastic sheet material and the object of the invention is to provide an attractive, inexpensive and durable lined box of improved construction.

My improved box comprises an outer box-like element formed from a single blank of thin fiat transparent synthetic thermoplastic sheet material which, in its normal condition, is rigid under edgewise stresses but which may be laterally ilexible and resilient to a limited extent. This blank is preferably heat treated as described in my co-pending application filed December 29, 1945, Serial Number 637,941, now abandoned, to produce therein temporarily malleable fold-defining streaks or veins on which it is bent or folded sharply into the form of a box element having a flat middle panel or wall bordered throughout its perimeter by relatively perpendicular two-ply side walls which are coupled together at the corners of the box by infolded tangs that are integral parts of said blank and each of which is incorporated within one of the side walls between the plies thereof.

It is also a feature of this invention that an inner lining element of sheet material, preferably paper, is closely fitted within the outer transparent element, said lining element being made with perpendicular side walls bordering a flat middle panel and ilxedly'held within the twoply side walls of said outer transparent element between the plies thereof. A

Another feature of the invention consists in so constructing and associating the parts ofthe box that the inner lining element is flxedly held in position within the outer transparent element by the inner plies of the side walls of the latter without the use of cement.

A further feature of the invention consists in making the lining element from sheet material, preferably paper, having one face thereof at least, ornate either in color or design and exposed to view through the transparent outer element.

Other features of the invention are hereinafter pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a box, or box section, constructed in accordance with this invention. l

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the box, or box section shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a section on line I-l of Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged section on line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the blank of transparent synthetic sheet material from which the outer .element of my improved box, or box section, is produced. l

Figure '7 is a perspective view of the blank of Fig. 6 after two oppositely disposed side walls thereof have been partially formed.

Figure 8 is a perspctive view of the blank from which the paper lining element is formed.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the lining element of Fig. 8 after being folded or bent into its final shape.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a partially formed portion of the outer transparent element showing the positionof the lining element therein preparatory to completion of said outer element.

The box, or box-section, shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises but two elements, viz., an outer boxlike element formed from a single blank Ill (Fig. 6) of thin transparent synthetic'thermoplastic sheet material which, under its normal condition, is rigid under edgewise stresses but which may be laterally flexible and resilient to a limited extent, and an inner lining element of any suitable sheet material, preferably paper, which is formed from a single blank Il (Fig. 8) into the box shape shown in Fig. 9 and closely fitted within the outer transparent lelement that is formed from the blank i0.

The blank l0 may be produced from any suitable transparent synthetic sheet material such as Lucite, Vinylite,' Acetate and the like which is normally lrigid as described but which is rendered pliant and malleable through the application of heat. In practice I have used such materials having a thickness of about .015 of an inch.

The lining blank Il may be produced from any suitable sheet material, preferably opaque paper, so as to conceal the contents of the box, and in practice I have used such material of various colors having a thickness in the neighborhood of .004 of an inch and including foil paper, colored paper, embossed paper, white paper, etc., which give to the finished box a distinctive ornate appearance since the lining element is exposed to view through the transparent outer element while the latter imparts an attractive glossy or polished appearance to the structure.-

The lining blank Il (Fig. 8) is formed with four bend-defining creases I2 surrounding a rectangular middle or body panel I3. that is thus marginal side wall panels Il, I4 and I8, I8. All of the side wall panels I4 and I9 are bent on the creases I2 into positions where they are perpendicular to the middle or body panel I3 as shown in Fig. 9 preparatory to incorporating the lining within the outer transparent element of the box. Thus an open slit I8 (Fig. 9) is provided at each f corner of the lining element in its final form which is utilized as presently to be described.

In fabricating the outer transparent element of synthetic sheet material I preferably employ mechanism similar to that shown and described in my above noted co-pending application which mechanism is characterized by the employment of a thin straight heated metallic blade that is applied intermittently to the blank as the shaping thereof proceeds, thereby to produce in said blank pliant and malleable veins or streaks on which it is sharply bent or folded into its final shape on the broken lines indicated in Figs. 6 and '1, said lines merely indicating the places of application of said blade. as determined by certain gauges incorporated in the mechanism referred to above.

The blank I (Fig. 6) for the outer transparent element of the box is characterized by the provision of a plurality of marginal slits I1, onev adjacent to each corner of the blank, whichV provide two pairs of relatively parallel marginal coupling tangs I8, I8 and I9,'I9.

To convert the-blank of Fig. 6 and the lining element of Fig. 9 into the lined box of Figs. i to 5, inclusive, the procedure isas follows: The heatedblade referred to above is first applied edgewise to blank III in register with the broken line a-b-c to produce in the blank a malleable or pliable bend-defining streak or vein which permits the adjacent outer side flap of the blank, including the tangs I8 and I9 at that side of the vblank.- to be bent into positions at right angles to the middle portion of the blank, whereupon the blank is permitted to cool and set in that condition.

Then the heated blade is applied edgewise to blank III in register with the broken line ab-c' to produce in the blank a malleable or -pliable bend-defining streak or vein which permits the proximate outer flap of the blank, including the tangs I8 and I9 at that side of the blank, to be bent into positions `at right angles to the middle panel 21 of the blank, whereupon the said streak or vein is permitted to cool and set in that condition.

Then the heated blade is applied edgewise to 4 lining'element and then downwardly into position against the inner face of said lining wail Aasshowninlligs.3andl0.

blank I0 in register with the broken line d at 55 one end of the blank to produce in the blank a malleable and pliable bend-defining streak or vein on which a third marginal flap 2li of the blank with which the tangs I9 connect, is bent into a position at right angles to the middle panel 21 of the blank (Fig. 10), whereupon the said streak or vein is permitted to cool and set in that condition with the tangs I9 inside of the two previously bent side portions.

The lining element of Fig. 9 is now slid into position within the three perpendicular side flaps of the blank (Fig. 10) as the tangs I9 are manually guided into two of the corner slits I6 of the lining element after which the heated blade is imposed upon the blank in .register with the The opposite side wall-of the |box is similarly constructed from the flap 22 of blank I0, the heated blade being applied to said blank first in register with the broken line d and then in register with the broken line d' and the tangs I8 of said ap 22 .being directed into the proximate slits I8 (Fig. 9) of the lining element as the flap 22 is bent into its perpendicular position so that at this time all four tangs are disposed immediately inside of the side walls I4, I4 of the lining' element. It will thus be seen that each of these two oppositely disposed side walls comprises three plies including an outer vpanel ply 23 (Fig. 3), the flap I5 of the lining element, and. the reentrant inturned extension ap 2l that is integral with the outer panel 23.

Continuing the fabrication of the box, lthe heated blade is now appliedto first one and then the other of the two oppositely disposed marginal ilaps 24 (Figi-6) of blank I0 in register with the broken line e to produce a malleable fold-defining streak or vein coincident therewith on which a marginal extension flap 26 (Fig. 7) of said ap 24 is folded inwardly over the top of the proximate side wall I4 (Fig. 10) of lining element il and downwardly into position against the inner face of said wall and against the tangs I8 and I9. After treating the oppositely disposed marginal nap 2l in the same manner the box is complete. Each side wall thus produced from one of the marginal flaps 24 of blank III comprises three plies (Figs. 4 and 5) including an outer transparent panel 25, the intermediate side wall I4 of the' lining element and the inturned reentrant nap extension 26, while the bottom of the box is made up of two plies including the middle panel I3 of the lining element and the middle panel 21 of the outer transparent element. y

The outer side of the lining element may be rendered ornate in any suitable manner as by embossing the material from which it is made, bycoloring or otherwise. In Figs. l, 2, 3, 9 and 10 I have indicated at 29 that the lining element is of golden color as seen through the transparent outer element. Also, printing may be imposed upon the outer side of the lining element where it is clearly exposed to viewthrough the transparent outer element and, incidentally, it is much less expensive to print upon the paper lining element than it is to print upon the outer element of synthetic sheet materi The above described box is of Very substantial and attractive construction and appearance and may be utilized alone as a box, or it may be telescopically associated with another section preferably constructed in the same manner, the dimensions of said other section being either slightly smaller or slightly greater than the dimensions of the box section above described.

As shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings the tangs I8 and I9 are ofl approximately the same width vertically as the height of the space between the'outer and inner panels 2I and 23 and 25 and 29 so that they cannot be displaced edgewise in any direction and all four walls of the box are locked together against relative displacement.

I What I claim is:

A box comprising an outer element made from 1 Wall panel bordered throughout its perimeter by relatively perpendicular two-ply side walls;

means coupling together the ends of said side walls at each corner of the box, and an inner ornate opaque lining element of paper closely tted within and throughout the interior of said outer element so that it is exposed to view through the latter, said inner lining element comprising a at middle panel bordered by relatively perpendicular one-ply side Walls which are incorporated within the two-ply side walls of the outer transparent element directly between the plies thereof, each side wall of said outer element comprising ain outer one-ply panel provided at its top with an integral inturned reentrant one-ply marginal flap extension disposed flatwise against the inner face of the side wall of the lining element so that the latter is flxedly 6 enclosed and held by the two plies of the side wall of said outer element.

JOHN H. OXLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 618,468 Knobelock Jan. 31, 1899 1,906,622 Kondolf May 2, 1933 1,965,951 Williams July 10, 1934 2,105,270 Scheiey Jan. 1l, 1938 2,164,354 Schrier July 4, 1939 2,218,246 McGrady Oct. 15, 1940 2,317,884 Clouston Apr. 27, 1943 

